Friends say he was a good neighbor who mostly kept to himself…Gray Squirrel, Sciurus Carolinensis

A disgruntled squirrel stormed Evergreen Elementary School in San Jose, California and started biting anything in sight yesterday, injuring three people including two, 11-year old students and a teacher. The students who were preparing for a field trip made a costly error by leaving the outside-facing door to their classroom open, allowing the squirrel to infiltrate the unguarded facility.

The school does not have a high squirrel population nor a history of squirrel attacks, said Will Ector, a spokesman for the San Jose School District, but that did not stop School Principal Kathy Shepard from forming a new anti-squirrel task force. “Our custodian has a new job,” said Shepard, “He’s going to be the squirrel police.”

Russ Parman, a Santa Clara County Vector Control District assistant manager, told MSNBC that squirrel attacks, though uncommon, often occur at particular times of the year and usually concern food.

Since America’s invasion of Iraq in 2003, squirrel attacks have been on the rise. This particular incident is demonstrative of a new, unnerving trend involving squirrels born in the U.S. These “home grown” squirrel cells pose an added threat as they easily blend in with other American squirrels without raising suspicion.

Other notable squirrel violence include the vicious attack in Mountain View, California on Hayley Allard earlier this year and a November 2006 assault on a Pennsylvania postal carrier.

Hayley Allard is “lucky she still has a face” said a Mountain View Police Department spokesperson.

Comments

“Lucky she still has a face”, my sweet patootie… she could have killed it by biting back! OK, it’s upsetting when cute fuzzy things go postal on you, but even a crazed squirrel’s still not a threat to life and limb. (Disease notwithstanding!)

rabies would be the main concern, i should think. squirrels are only cute and cuddly-looking; corner or capture one, and it tends to emulate a cat you’ve dragged into the bathtub for a wash, turning into a quickly moving ball of all teeth and sharp claws.